The availability of affordable and portable electroencephalogram (EEG) devices has sparked interest in using passive EEG-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) in real-world applications such as neuroergonomics and neuromarketing. These fields require objective measurement of human cognitive and affective states. Although studies have explored EEG features for different mental states and affective responses in these areas, there is still a gap between laboratory research and real-world implementation.

Two critical questions need to be addressed to bridge the gaps between laboratory research and real-world implementation. Firstly, can the EEG features identified in controlled laboratory conditions be reliably detected in real-world settings? Secondly, how can transfer learning streamline the calibration process for new users or sessions of passive BCI features? Can laboratory-oriented tasks be employed to calibrate the model for real-world applications?

This dissertation aims to address the questions raised earlier by developing EEG signal-processing and feature-extraction methods, and exploring transfer learning techniques for assessing human cognitive and affective states in naturalistic environments. Chapter 2 describes a study demonstrating how EEG can be used in neuroergonomic research to monitor changes in an individual's memory workload during a regular office task. Chapter 3 presents a study on affective states, examining how EEG and eye-tracking can detect human interest levels in images of electronic products. These two chapters prove that robust EEG features found in laboratory settings can also be observed in real-world settings.

Chapter 4 investigates the transferability of EEG features in monitoring human cognitive loads. The study's outcomes can inform the development of transfer learning techniques for more effective BCI applications in real-world settings. Chapter 5 demonstrates the feasibility of cross-task transfer learning for passive BCIs and illustrates how EEG signatures from lab-controlled tasks can be applied to real-world scenarios. Finally, Chapter 6 concludes all the studies.

Overall, this dissertation offers valuable contributions to the EEG-based assessment of human cognitive and affective states in real-world settings and has significant implications for developing more practical and effective passive BCI applications.

A young child’s larynx was formerly believed to be narrowest at the cricoid level, circular in section, and funnel shaped. This supported the routine use of uncuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs) in young children despite the benefits of cuffed ETTs, such as lower risk for air leakage and aspiration. In the late 1990s, evidence supporting the pediatric use of cuffed tubes emerged largely from anesthesiology studies, while some technical flaws of the tubes remained a concern. Since the 2000s, imaging-based studies have clarified laryngeal anatomy, revealing that it is narrowest at the glottis, elliptical in section, and cylindrical in shape. The update was contemporaneous with technical advances in the design, size, and material of cuffed tubes. The American Heart Association currently recommends the pediatric use of cuffed tubes. In this review, we present the rationale for using cuffed ETTs in young children based on our updated knowledge of pediatric anatomy and technical advances.

The false perceptions from the "Model Minority Myth" mask the reality of the myth’s harm in obscuring racism that is seen through forms of microaggressions, lack of representation in American political leadership, and implementation of a racial hierarchy. As the model minority myth continues to be embodied, Asian Americans face generalizations that invalidate the individual experience. Although the myth of the model minority is perceived as a “positive” stereotype, the myth causes high mental health issues among Asian Americans and obscures the inaccessibility to healthcare services, especially in light of COVID-19. Because the myth has become ingrained in American society, a racial hierarchy continues to establish social norms that silence the voices of all minorities. In order to change the positive perceptions surrounding the myth, researchers and healthcare practitioners must be wary of the way in which stereotypes influence diagnoses as well as understand that culture and its connection to the individual is flexible and varies among patients.